Demonology

Sometimes things occur at a location that cause people to believe the place is haunted by ghosts. In some cases that might be the case, while in others there could be a reasonable and logical explanation for the occurrences. However, there are those few dreaded times when neither is true. There are times when the things that are happening are the things of a nightmare. Sometimes mysterious scratches appear in threes on someone's skin. Unexplained fires start in the home with no logical reason. Poltergeist activity is at an all time high. Dark shadowy images are seen roaming the house causing hair to stand on end. A feeling of evil, heaviness, and dread can be sensed throughout the house. Pets or family members begin to act strangely. It is when these things take place that you might want to consider an alternate course of action. The reason is because when these things are happening in your home, then you might be dealing with a demonic entity.

The term “demons” did not always have the drastic negative connotation that it has today. In fact, the fabled ancient writer named Homer used the terms "demons" and “gods” interchangeably. At one time it was believed that demons were intermediaries between men and gods and that demons were once men. Plutarch said, “human souls as commencing, first heroes, then demons, and afterward as advancing to a more sublime degree.” Philo of Byblos also draws on this same tradition when he stated, “The most ancient of the barbarians, especially the Phoenicians and Egyptians, from whom other people derived this custom, accounted those the greatest gods who had found out things most necessary and useful in life and had been benefactors to mankind.”

However, our current use of the term “demon” is to denote a malignant spirit. It comes to us primarily from the “New Testament” writers. There is still uncertainty as to whether or not demons are considered to be distinct and separate from the Devil and his fallen angels. Perhaps they are the twisted evil spirits of humans, who've passed on after living torturous lives. The evil that lived within a person in life has transformed into its true form, after the physical death of the person, therefore becoming what we would consider to be a demon. This is not such a far fetched theory for one, who believes in ghostly spirits.

One thing that is certain is demons are dangerous. Do not think you can attempt to do battle with one on your own. It takes the right kind of experience and sufficient knowledge to deal with these evil entities. If you believe you are being oppressed by a demonic entity, contact your local church or a paranormal group that has a demonologist handy. Unfortunately, we do not have one, at this time. Don't think you are alone. Someone out there can and is willing to assist you.

The Demonic Witching Hour

3 O'Clock by Josignacio, 1995

Oddly enough many paranormal and demonic occurrences happen at around 3am. Mind you, this is by no means a coincidence. It is said that 3am is referred to as the "Demonic Witching Hour." The reason for this is because it is a way for demons to mock the Holy Trinity, since 3am is an inversion of 3pm and that is considered to be the Miracle Hour.

According to many the Miracle Hour is traditionally accepted as the time when Jesus Christ died on the cross. So to mock his death, demons commit acts of unspeakable evil to torment the living during the inversion of this time. This is when they prefer to attack, but by no means are not limited to this time alone. Things have been known to happen at many other times, as well. Even during the daylight.

So, if things are occurring in your home at 3am... you might want to take extra precautions and be prepared for whatever may come next. Don't wait to be a victim.

Diagram of the Holy Trinity

The Stages of Diabolical Activity

Infestation – Scary things might occur in the dark, but seem to stop when lights go on. Scratches appear on the body in 3 marks to mock the holy trinity. 666, the mark of the beast might appear on the body or somewhere else. Some of these things or other occurrences take place at the same time every night, usually at 2am or 3am. A spirit may appear as a human with some type of abnormality to use deception, such as missing limbs. The demon will use a divide and conquer strategy to divide the household by appearing for one person, not another, creating confusion, doubt, fear, and panic. Vivid intense nightmares occur often. The victim begins to feel alone becoming more vulnerable to attack and ultimately possession. Demons can pose as dead relatives to fool the victim, but they will never say they love God.

Oppression – This is when the demon attacks the victim. Attacks might go on all day and night to wear down household making the members of the household vulnerable to possession.

Possession – It feels like a hot rag sensation, tingling all over, paralysis, pressure on the body, feels like electricity, gasping for breath, speaking in another language or backwards. Ouija board can be a doorway to invite evil spirits. Victims often have no memory of the possession.

Exorcism – Things might be calm temporarily, but the activity could resume with more intensity. Medal of St. Benedict should be worn as protection from demons.

Signs of a Demonic Possession

﻿A photo of a woman alleged to have been possessed.﻿

There is little doubt that most of what was formerly described in the past as “demon possession” would today be diagnosed as some sort of mental illness by most scholars or authorities, and subsequently treated accordingly. Nevertheless, there are actually quite a number of cases where demonic possession does seem to occur.

The Roman Catholic Church does continue to, although preferably with as little publicity as possible, perform exorcisms almost on a regular basis according to author, Ralph Sarchie, in his book "Beware the Night."

Unfortunately, throughout history mental illness and bad narcotics reactions have sometimes been mistaken for demonic possession. Therefore, it is very important to be fully aware of the traditional signs associated with an actual demonic possession. While some signs are quite obvious, there are a few that are subtle enough to be confused by an uneducated witness or victim.

The following are signs of that a person might be possessed by a demon:

Speaking in an unknown language, such as Latin or ancient Aramaic

Suddenly possessing super human strength

Having a high tolerance for pain

Showing extreme flexibility

Exhibiting the power of levitation

Being unable to enter houses of worship

Emitting a foul odor

Having a hatred for anything that is holy

Showing a drastic change in personality

Foreseeing the future

Having unusually precise knowledge of the distant past

Intense anger

The Mark of the Beast... 666

The quickest test for possession is to test the subject’s knowledge of the unknowable, which basically means to see if they know the something they should not know.

Scenes from "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" and "The Exorcist."

The Stages of an Exorcism

Presence – The demon shows its presence in some way.

Pretense – The demon begins its games by hiding and pretending not to be within the person, who is possessed.

Breakpoint – The demon is finally forced to reveal it's true self.

Voice – The demon uses its own voice to speak through its victim.

Clash – The battle between good and evil truly begins with the might of God on one side against the Devil and his minions.

Expulsion – The demon is forced to flee the body of the possessed person and is banished back to Hell.

Demoniacal Prophesy

In the old days people had a sort of faith in the prophetic words spoken by those whom they believed to be possessed by demons. This was sometimes a component of the ancient oracles. It is also worth pointing out that a respected modern-day professor of psychology once witnessed a friend, who was suffering from paranoid schizophrenia make a specific prophecy that turned out to be surprisingly accurate. The professor had no reasonable explanation for this prophesy. One is tempted to hypothesize that there is a link between altered mental states and psychic ability, which might explain what happened. Some also associate the very popular, albeit dangerous "game," Ouija board, with demoniacal prophesies. If you've seen Linda Blair in the 1973 thriller, “The Exorcist,” you might recall this was how her character’s demonic possession originated. By using a Ouija board it is believed one can open a doorway to all kinds of spirits. Do you dare take a chance? Is it really worth the risk?

Don't Be Stupid!

NEVER ask the board when you or anyone else is going to die. Why the hell would you want to know such a thing? Are you stupid?

DO NOT tell the board to move something in the room or ask for physical signs. You're asking for trouble. Fires have started in this manner.

NEVER invite a spirit or whatever it is to come to you or to stay with you. It could be a demonic entity and could lead to your possession.

DO NOT tell the board to curse or hurt someone else. If you want revenge on someone, just kick their ass.

DO NOT play while you are feeling depressed or sick. A demon can easily take advantage of your weakened state of mind.

DO NOT use the board as a tool to mess with people’s heads by trying to scare them. Once again, this is not really a game. It is a tool.

Ouija boards should not be used during scientific investigations of the paranormal. There is no scientific credibility to these boards. Nobody truly knows what's really behind these mysterious boards, or whether it is a positive or negative entity. Furthermore, no one with credibility themselves can claim to possess that knowledge. These boards are to be used with the utmost care and caution. They are dangerous portals into the unknown. Never take them lightly or beware the consequences.

Occult Runes

Runes are the letters in a set of related alphabets known as runic alphabets, which were used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet used today. As time went on they were used for specialized purposes, such as ritualistic ceremonies or secretive writings. The Scandinavian variants are also known as futhark, or fuþark, which is derived from the first 6 letters of their alphabet (F, U, Þ, A, R, and K). The Anglo-Saxon variant is futhorc, or fuþorc, due to sound changes undergone in Old English by the very same 6 letters.Runologyis the study of the runic alphabets, runic inscriptions, runestones, and the history that surrounds them. Runology actually forms a specialized branch of Germanic linguistics. The earliest runic inscriptions date back to sometime around the year 150 AD. The characters were generally replaced by the Latin alphabet as the cultures that had formerly utilized runes converted to Christianity. It happened in approximately 700 AD in Central Europe, while in Northern Europe it was closer to 1100 AD. The use of runes continued for specialized purposes in Northern Europe. Until the early 20th century, runes were used in rural Sweden for decorative purposes in Dalarna and on Runic calendars.

Historically, the runic alphabet is a derivation of the Old Italic alphabets of antiquity, with the addition of some innovations. Which variant of the Old Italic family in particular gave rise to the runes remains a mystery. Some possibilities include Raetic, Etruscan, or Old Latin. At the time, all of these scripts had the same angular letter shapes suited for epigraphy, which would become characteristic of the runes.

The process of transmission of the script is unknown. The oldest inscriptions are found in Denmark and Northern Germany, not near Italy. A "West Germanic hypothesis" suggests transmission via Elbe Germanic groups, while a "Gothic hypothesis" presumes transmission via East Germanic expansion.

These days runes are used widely by occult groups for scriptures or rituals, which make it hard to decipher for someone uneducated in Runology. Sometimes one might come across strange symbols painted at a certain location. It is wise not to assume that it is random graffiti.

Periods of Increased Demonic Activity

Historians of past times believed there were cycles of time in which demonic activity is increased. They used this theory to explain various ill fated occurrences, much in the same way as today's economic historians might explain historical events in terms of trade, productivity, and other such events. These ancient historians saw a rise in demonic activity that accompanied such occurrences as the destruction of Jerusalem, the fall of Rome, and the French Revolution.

In all likelihood they would have also agreed this demonic theory was at work during the rise of Nazism, both World Wars, slavery, racial segregation, child abuse, violent crimes, and Terrorism.

Types of Demons

The following is a list of demon species, as described by Alphonse de Spina in the year 1467:

Fates, who alter destiny

Poltergeists, who cause mischief

Incubi and Succubi, who stimulate lust and perversion

Marching Hordes, who bring about war

Familiars, who assist witches

Nightmares, who disturb sleep through bad dreams

Demons formed from human semen

Disguised Demons

Demons who assail the saintly

Demons who instigate witchcraft

Pentagram

"The Goetia: The Lesser Key of Solomon the King (Clavicula Salomonis Regis)" is a 1904 translation of the text by Samuel Mathers and Aleister Crowley. It is essentially an instructional manual, which purports to teach how to summon 72 different demonic spirits.

The list of demons' below was taken from the Ars Goetia, which differs in terms of number and ranking from the Pseudomonarchia Daemonum of Weyer. As a result of multiple translations, there are multiple spellings for some names:

Do you believe you may be the victim of a possession?

After thoroughly reading this page, if you believe you are being oppressed by a demonic entity, you do not have to suffer any longer. There are ways someone can assist you. Tell a trusted relative or friend, if at all feasible. Try to get a witness that believes your story enough to vouch for you. Otherwise, you can contact us and we will try to see what can be done. However, be aware that we are not qualified to deal with demonic possessions.

We might have to conduct a paranormal investigation first to acquire some kind of tangible proof. It is not our policy to believe everything we hear or read, meaning just because you say it is a demon doesn't mean we will automatically believe it. We need to determine this for ourselves.

Your best option is probably for you to contact the Order of Exorcists. They fall under the Catholic jurisdiction of The Sacred Order of Saint Michael the Archangel and are authorized by the church to perform exorcisms. It might be best for you to contact us first, if there is any doubt about it being demonic activity. Let us speak with you and we can contact them later, if we see there is indeed a need to do so. They usually do not like people wasting their time with pranks, so they might be reluctant to help without a believable story or credible witnesses. A paranormal team can clarify what is going on and better inform them.

It is very important that you do not wait until it's too late. Your life or the life of another could depend upon it.

A Special Thanks

I'd like to give a special thank you to both Wikipedia and www.HauntedAmericaTours.com for providing me with much of the information listed on the page above, as well as Ralph Sarchie for the wealth of information in his book. I'd also like to thank the Order of Exorcists for providing assistance with their vast experience in demonology.